Methods to flatten wire

[bbussey]

Fellow members,

Can someone enlighten me as to the best way to flatten round phosphor bronze wire so that I can have a square or rectangular cross-section?  I'd like to utilize .015" diameter wire.  Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

[victor miranda]

gotta be square? 
I think a roller may be your only option.

victor

[sizemore]

For mount points for handrails and glad hands for hoses I've used a modified pair of hardened stainless needle nose pliers which were slightly bent to form nice round contact point (think of it like a pair of slip joint pliers). Just pinch and go. It works well on brass, phosphor bronze is a harder metal IIRC, YMMV.

The S.

[C855B]

... phosphor bronze is a harder metal IIRC, YMMV.

You know, that was my first thought. PB may be too hard to casually deform like this. It would probably yield to a hammer, but cold-rolling it probably won't work, and hot-rolling will likely screw with the characteristics. A drawing die, maybe?

[bbussey]

Victor, where do I find the proper roller to attempt this?  I looked a few places online but didn't have much luck.
 

[victor miranda]

yeah I gots a big mouth.

you need a roller thing like jewlers use
and you turn a roller on a lathe.
a groove is all you need...

BTW you can anneal ph-bnz just like copper.

victor

[up1950s]

Would a NWSL roller work to flatten it ? Now you just have to un-coil it .

[wcfn100]

How long do you need the wire to be?

Jason

[bbussey]

I need to fashion lower door tracks for a boxcar with camel door fixtures.  I might just use .010" diameter wire.  But flattened .015" wire is my first choice.  I could use Plastruct .010"x.010" or .010"x.015" styrene, but it is so difficult to cement it in place and keep it straight.

[bbussey]

How long do you need the wire to be?

About 2½" long.  Need two of them.

[wcfn100]

Could you sheer that from .010" brass sheet stock?

Jason

[wcfn100]

Second thought, could there be something close on an etched brass fret?


Jason

[bbussey]

I could etch it.  I was trying to avoid sending it out and waiting (and the expense), but that will work.

I could mill it also.  Might try that first, as it would be less costly.

[peteski]

Detail Associates sells few sizes of flat brass wire.  I don't recall the exact dimensions (but it is in the 0.010-0.020 range).  I have some of that stuff (at home).

[victor miranda]

silly me....

I was thinking production...

I'd anneal the wire and hammer it.

don't try to flatten it all at once.
tap the length a few times turning 90 degrees for each run of tapping.

it will not take long.